SWC75
Bored Historian
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
- Messages
- 33,497
- Like
- 64,500
Here is the field for the NCAA Division III playoffs, with the team name, the state they are in, (if it’s not already part of the name), the won-loss record, the points for and against, who they lost to, their ranking, their all time post season record, (including NAIA and other NCAA divisions and small college bowl games, and championships won.
WASHINGTON & LEE of Virginia (8-2, 368-278). Lost to Franklin & Marshall 28-35 on 9/1 and Bridgewater St. 14-31 on 10/20. Unranked. All-Time: 0-3. No titles.
At
HOBART of New York (10-0, 389-148). No Losses. Rank: #7 All-Time 4-8. No titles.
WITTENBERG of Ohio (9-1, 390-152) Lost to Wabash 24-27 on 10/6. Rank: #24. All-Time: 20-12. Titles: Poll 1964, NCAA Division III 1973, 1975.
At
HEIDELBERG of Ohio (9-1, 374-134). Lost to Mount Union 14-33 on 10/27. Rank: #12 All-Time 1-0, (bowl game). No Titles
FRANKLIN of Indiana (8-2, 417-186). Lost to Mount Union 7-45 on 9/1 and Butler 13-42 on 9/8, (and then won 8 in a row). Rank: #16 All-time: 3-5. No Titles.
At
ADRIAN of Michigan (9-1, 235-112), Lost to Carthage 17-20 on 9/1, (and then won 9 in a row). Unranked. All-Time 0-2. No titles.
FRAMINGHAM STATE of Massachusetts (10-1, 379-133), Lost to Endicott 7-34 on 9/1, (and then won 10 in a row). Unranked. All-Time: 0-0. No titles.
At
CORTLAND STATE of New York (8-1, 337-180), Lost to Buffalo State 31-49 on 9/1, (and then won 8 in a row). Rank: #18. All-time 4-7. No titles.
MOUNT IDA of Massachusetts, (8-2, 355-237). Lost to Springfield 42-49, 9/15 and Gallaudet 22-29 on 11/3. Unranked. No titles.
At
WESLEY of Delaware, (8-1, 259-133). Lost to Mary Hardin-Baylor 32-35 on 9/15. Rank: #6. All-Time: 18-8. No titles.
BRIDGEWATER ST. of Massachusetts, (9-1, 284-151). Lost to Framingham State 0-16 on 9/21. Unranked. All-time: 0-2. No titles.
At
WIDENER of Pennsylvania, (9-0, 461-155). No losses. Rank: #9. All-Time 15-10. Titles: NCAA DIII 1977, 1981.
ROWAN of New Jersey, (7-2, 259-101). Lost to Merrimack College 7-20 on 9/8 and Cortland State 21-24 on 10/20. Rank: #25. All-Time: 30-13. No titles.
At
SALISBURY of Maryland (8-2, 350-137) Lost to Wesley 7-17 on 9/8 and Ithaca 14-21 on 10/27. Rank: #11 All-Time: 7-8. No titles.
WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON of Pennsylvania (8-2, 256-197). Lost to St. John Fisher 24-28 on 9/8 and Thomas More 18-54 on 10/6. Unranked. All-Time 21-21-1. No titles.
At
JOHNS HOPKINS of Maryland (9-1, 337-142). Lost to Franklin & Marshall 12-14 on 11/3. Rank: #19 All-time: 2-3. No titles.
CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT of Virginia (6-4, 241-240). Lost to Salisbury 16-40 on 9/1, Hampden-Sydney 20-42 on 9/8, Lagrange 6-20 on 10/13 and Methodist 29-30 on 11/10. Unranked, (they won their conference’s automatic bid). All-Time: 2-8. No titles.
At
MOUNT UNION of Ohio (10-0, 517-45- that’s right, 45!) No losses. They had a streak of 6 consecutive shut-outs from 9/15-10/20. Rank: #1 All-Time 73-13. Titles: NCAA Division III: 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008 (10)
LOUISIANA COLLEGE (8-2, 350-233), Lost to Wesley 22-25 on 9/22 and Mary Hardin-Baylor 3-30 on 10/13. Rank: #23 All-Time 3-2. No titles.
At
MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR of Texas (10-0, 496-180). No losses. Rank: #2 All-Time: 18-10. No titles.
ST. NORBERT of Wisconsin (8-2, 269-195). Lost to John Carroll, (in Dublin, Ireland) 3-40 on 8/31 and Monmouth 9-31 on 9/29. Unranked. All-Time 1-8. No titles.
At
ST. THOMAS of Minnesota (10-0, 362-143). No losses. Rank: #4 All-Time: 8-5-1. No titles.
ELMHURST of Illinois (9-1, 328-211). Lost to North Central 10-44 on 9/29. Rank: #17. All-Time: 0-0. No titles.
At
COE of Iowa (10-0, 399-110). No losses. Rank: #10 All-Time 2-7. No titles.
BETHEL of Minnesota (8-2, 306-180). Lost to St. Thomas 0-37 on 10/13 and St. Olaf 17-24 on 11/3. Rank: #21 All-time: 6-6. No titles.
At
CONCORDIA-CHICAGO (10-0, 404-239). No losses. Unranked, (despite the undefeated record). No titles.
ST. SCHOLASTICA of Minnesota (8-2, 283-125). Lost to Whitworth 13-28 on 9/1 and Northwestern of Chicago 13-14. Unranked. All-Time: 0-1. No titles.
At
WISCONSIN-OSHKOSH (10-0, 388-128). No losses. Rank: #5. All-Time: 0-0. No titles.
PACIFIC LUTHERAN of Washington (7-2, 302-195). Lost to California Lutheran 23-37 on 9/8 and Linfield 24-31 on 9/29. Rank: #20. All-Time: 1-0. All-Time 32-15. Titles: NAIA DII 1980, 1987, 1993, NCAA DIII 1999 (4)
At
LINFIELD of Oregon (9-0, 403-146). No losses. Rank: #3 All-Time: 30-19 Titles: NAIA DII 1982, 1984, 1986, NCAA DIII 2004 (4)
NORTH CENTRAL of Illinois (8-2, 392-147). Lost to Wisconsin-Lacrosse 17-21 on 9/1 and Wheaton 21-35 on 11/3. Rank: #13 All-Time 6-7. No titles.
At
CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN (8-1, 410-218). Lost to Linfield 30-33 on 9/15. Rank: #8 All-Time 4-7 Titles: NAIA DII 1971
FIRST ROUND
Washington & Lee came in as the most prolific rushing team in Division III with 364 yards per game but Hobart had what it took up front to limit them to 188 yards while running for 288 of their own and go on to win 38-20. Steven Webb ran for 99 yards and three scores. Bobby Dougherty ran for 81 more and a score and quarterback Nick Strang passed for 986 yards and scored a TD of his own.
In the battle of the Bergs, Heidelberg scored on four of it’s first five possessions to take a 28-6 first half lead over Wittenberg. But the Tigers, who won two of the first three DIII titles back in the 70’s, (the closest thing to Mount Union in their time), stormed back to win 52-38. Reed Florence was 31 for 49 for 346 yard and 5 scores. The “Student Princes”, (I kid you not), helped out by fumbling two kick-offs. This is what happens when royalty takes on the working class.
Franklin used a 28 point second period to eliminate Adrian 42-10. The Grizzlies mauled the Bulldogs, 511 yards to 225. Quarterback Jonny West threw for 303 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Cortland State dodged a bullet when a Framingham extra point bounced off the left upright with 3:38 left. The Red Dragons got their arms around a squib kick and got a couple of first downs, one on 4th and 1 to run out the clock. Melike Van Alstyne ran for 227 yard for Framingham but Justin Autera got 1221 for Cortland and Kordel McInnis caught a couple of TD passes.
Wesley sent Mount Ida back to the rocking chair, 73-14. Justin Sottilare three 6 touchdown passes and the Wolverines had a season high 247 rushing yards.
Widener, another school with a couple of titles back in the old days, broke a 7-7 halftime tie with a 37 point second half to bury Bridgewater State, 44-14. The “Pride” had a 463-195 edge in total offense, including 317 passing yards from quarterback Chris Haupt.
Joe Benedetti of Salisbury rushed for 125 and two scores to lead the Seagulls to a 17-9 win over Rowan. The Professors had to go with their back-up quarterback due to a neck injury to Louie Bianchini. His replacement Paul Hamersma was 24 for 46 but for only 155 yards, 1TD and two interceptions.
Johns Hopkins is more noted for lacrosse but they are making noise in football these days. Washington & Jefferson certainly has a ringing in their ears after a 10-42 loss. Like Rowan, the presidents lost their quarterback early in the game but the Blue Jays put this away early anyway. On their first possession they were stopped on downs in W&J territory. They then scored the next three times they got the ball and led 28-3 at the half. Jonathan Rigaud rushed for 155 yards and score and Robbie Matey passed for 282 yards and 5 scores.
Christopher Newport had no chance at all against Mount Union. It was 49-7 at halftime and 72-14 at the end. The Purple Raiders had 326 yards rushing and 315 passing. The Captains had 101 total yards. Kevin Burke passed for 264 yards and 3 touchdowns. Chris Denton returned a punt 80 yards for a score and five different players had rushing touchdowns for the winners.
Quarterback LiDarral Bailey ran for 124 yards and two scores and passed for 267 and three more scores as Mary Hardin-Baylor swamped Louisiana College for the second time this year, 59-20. In their first meeting, “The Cru” didn’t score until the 30th minute of their first b=meeting but then exploded for 30 points after that in a 30-3 win. Here they blew out to a 42-6 halftime lead and coasted. They gave up 432 yards, mostly after the contest was decided but had an awesome 674 yards of their own.
In a Holy War, Saint Thomas proved more worthy than Saint Norbert, 48-17. Brenton Braddock, (how’d you like to try to tackle a guy with a name like that?) ran for 166 yards on 24 carries and 4 touchdowns, one on an 82 yard burst. The “Tommies” broke a scoreless tie with a 27-0 second quarter that ended any suspense.
Elmhurst was lining up for a tying field goal against Coe in a 21-24 game when “Kohawks” (you gotta love these nicknames) coach Steve Staker called a time-out. During the time-out Elmhurst Coach Tim Lester decided to go for it. Quarterback threw a 7 yard pass to Corey Thonn for what turned out to be the winning score in a 27-24 thriller. The yards were virtually even, 429-415. Scottie Williams rushed for 196 yards and a score for the winning Blue Jays while Brendan Leiran had 181 yards and a score for the Kohawks.
In another thriller, Bethel of Minnesota defeated Concordia of Chicago 24-23 by batting down a two point conversion with 18 seconds left. Bethel had almost put it away with 7 minutes to go but quarterback Erik Peterson’s attempt to break the plane of the end zone with the ball was knocked out of his hands. Peterson completed 16 of 23 passes for 161 yards and Marshall Klitzke rushed for 134 yards for the winners.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh ran over Saint Scholastica 55-10, rushing for 413 yards. Cole Myhra ran for 198 yards and Nate Wara added 128 more. Scholastica had been giving up only 88 yards a game on the ground but were outclassed by the Titans. The Saints will now return to the peace and quiet of their devotional studies.
Pacific Lutheran and Linfield are virtual twins, both tiny, (about 5000 students between them), schools from the Pacific Northwest who won three NAIA titles each and then switched over to the NCAA and won a title each there. They played each other on 9/29 and Linfield won 31-24. They did it again last week, only it was even closer at 27-24. The “lutes” out-gained the Wildcats but suffered 5 turnovers and 6 sacks, which allowed Linfield to hold them off enough to win. Chad Coburn rushed for two scores for the winners and Mickey Inns threw for 210 yards. Kyle Warner caught 12 passes for 205 yards but couldn’t catch up to a 4th down pass with 33 seconds left.
It was not a good week for the Lutherans as California Lutheran went down hard to North Central, 21-41, giving up 528 yards total offense. The visiting Cardinals took control immediately with a 24-0 first quarter. Lutheran never got within 17 after that. Running back Nick Kuric gained a career high 250 yards on 20 carries, including a 79 yarder on the second play from scrimmage. Their defense forced four turnovers, got 4 sacks and held the Kingsmen to 324 total yards.
SECOND ROUND
Once upon a time Wittenberg was the most successful small college football team in the country. They had the highest winning percentage at any level through the 1960’s and the 1970’s. They were the closest thing to Mount Union before Mount Union. They won 2 of the first three DIII titles and played for the title two more times in the 70’s. They have continued to play good football over the last three decades but not been as dominant- or prominent. And they were no match for Hobart’s greatest team last Saturday at Geneva. The Statement declawed the Tigers, 35-10, holding them to a season low 135 yards. It took Hobart a while to get going themselves. They gained only 74 yards in a 7-3 first half. But they marched for a score to open the second half to make it 14-3. Wittenberg answered but then got fumbleitis, dropping a punt, blocking a field goal but then fumbling again and the Statesmen took it in for a 21-10 lead and they never looked back. Hobart rushed for 286 yards and scored all five touchdowns by that route- by 5 different players. Steven Webb led the Statesmen with 130 yards and twisting, sideline-to-sideline 57 yard score and Bobby Dougherty added 85 more and his 19th touchdown of the year, tying Don Aleksiewicz‘s 1971 record. Hobart had the ball for more than 39 minutes of the 60 minute contest.
Mary Hardin-Baylor was formerly Baylor College for Women. Mary Hardin and her husband John saved the college financially during the Great Depression after a fire devastated the campus and the school renamed itself after Mrs. Hardin. It became co-educational in 1971 They started up a football program in 1998 in the NAIA, switched over to the NCAA in 2000. They made the playoffs for the first time in 2001 and made it all the way to championship in 2004, losing to Linfield, (this was the last title game before the Mount Union-Whitewater co-dynasty). They’ve had only one head coach, Pete Fredenberg. Franklin was no match for them in a 63-17 victory for the Crusaders, also known as “The Cru”. The game was 28-0 after one period and 49-3 at halftime. The Cru had a balanced offense with 282 yards on the ground and 281 in the air. Franklin had 310 total yards. LiDarral Bailey threw three first quarter TD passes and didn’t even play in the second half.
Cortland State, Upstate New York’s other representative in this field, never got off the launching pad at Wesley. On the third play of the game, Chris Rose threw an interception that was returned 22 yards for a touchdown. On the next possession Rose was sacked and fumbled with the ball being returned for a touchdown. It started a 56-6 avalanche for the home team. The Wolverines have now devoured two teams by a combined 129-20 in the playoffs, a slightly better record than even mighty Mount Union. Cortland wound up with 6 turnovers - 5 of them interceptions. Wesley has a school record 26 interceptions this year. They only gained 366 yards but only gave up 194. Quarterback Justin Sottilaire had 3 TD passes. But this one was all about defense.
Widener easily handled Salisbury, 28-7, out-gaining them 445-230. Again, turnovers were key. The Pride scored twice in the first half after the Sea Gulls fumbled. Chris Haupt threw an 82 yard bomb to Anthony Davis, (which one?) to make it 21-0 early in the fourth. He followed it up with a 64 yarder to Connor Schlegel to make it 28-0. Haupt was 23 of 35 for 47 yards
From the Chicago Tribune: “Johns Hopkins University coach Jim Margraff understood completely the immense challenge his team faced. "I joked with our guys early in the week," Margraff said. "There's a Division III bucket list and you could come to Alliance and play Mount Union." The Blue Jays kicked the bucket, losing 13-55 and being out-gained 278-653 by the #1 team in the division. After celebrating stopping the Purple Raiders on their 5 yard line in the opening possession, quarterback Robbie Matey threw interceptions on the next two possession and Mount Union quarterback Kevin Burke threw touchdown passes to Jasper Collins, the first two of five. It was 34-7 at halftime. Burke was 25 of 36 for 388 yards while Collins caught 12 passes for 228 yards. "It was exciting for us to come play the No. 1 team in the country," Margraff said.
In an actual close game, St. Thomas beat Elmhurst 24-17, overcoming a 0-14 first quarter deficit. The Tommies opened up with a blocked field goal a 75 yard, 6 play drive by Elmhurst, a fumble and a second Blue Jay score. But quarterback Matt McConnell’s 51 yard run gave them some hope and set up a one yard plunge by Brenton Braddock to make it 7-14. Then ,after a punt, McConnell threw the ball from his own 12 to the Elmhurst 40 where Matt Misiewicz caught the ball in stride and ran to the end zone, completing an 88 yard play to tie it. Elmhurst then drove to the St. Thomas 8 but a fumbled pitch was scooped up by Ayo Idowu who rambled 86 yards down the side to give the Tommies the lead for good. The teams traded third quarter field goals and that was that. The total yards were virtually even- 393-391. It was a great game, or at least a great half.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh, who won Whitewater’s conference this season and is playing in the post-season for the first time, also fell behind 0-14 but came roaring back to win easily, 37-14 against Bethel of Minnesota. “We’re very unemotional” said Coach Pat Cerroni, “and that’s probably because of me”. After having three punts and two interceptions in their five possessions, the unemotional Titans scored 37 unanswered points. An interception just before halftime set up with first score and a 21-0 third period gave them control of the contest. They gained 462 total yards, including a 344-75 second half. Cole Myhra and Caleb Voss scored 5 touchdowns between them.
Linfield had another opportunistic defense, forcing 7 North Central turnovers, including 5 interceptions, in a 30-14 win. They now have 12 takeaways in two playoff games and 34 on the season. A 73 yard pick 6 by Dom Forrest gave the Wildcats a 14-0 lead. They led 17-0 at the half. Two more interceptions set up third quarter touchdowns and a 30-0 lead. Two quick scores by the Cardinal’s Nick Kukuc within 3 minutes made it interesting at 30-14 but the Wildcats shut the Cardinals out in the game’s last 14 minutes. Linfield QB Mickey Linns completed 24 of 39 passes for 305 yards and 2 scores.
QUARTERFINALS
Hobart’s dreams of being the first New York State team to make the DIII finals since Ithaca won it for the third time in 1991 went down hard in a sea of errors vs. St. Thomas. A blocked punt on Hobart’s first possession set the Tommies up and on their first defensive play, star linebacker Devin Worthington hurt his leg and never returned rto the game. The wonderfully named Brenton Braddock scored from the 4, the first of four short-range touchdowns and a run by the placement holder on the conversion made it 0-8. After a short punt and a personal foul penalty, Braddock scored again from the 2 to make it 0-15. On the next series, Steven Webb ran 66 yards for Hobart’s only score on a 4th and 1. But whatever optimism that created didn’t last long. An interception set up another score to make it 7-22 on the first play of the second quarter. By halftime it was 7-32 and the final was 7-47. The Tommies out-gained Hobart 462-294 and intercepted 3 passes.
Wesley had been doing a Mount Union imitation with their blow-out wins until they ran into perennial rival Mary Hardin-Baylor and got beat for the 5th time in 7 playoff confrontations and the second time this season, 20-32. The Crusaders jumped out to a 2-0 lead when Wesley recovered a backwards pass in their own end zone. They then drove 50 yards with the subsequent kick-off to score on an 18 yard pass from LaDarrel Bailey to Jon Ross and make it 9-0. In the second quarter, leading 12-7 MHB blocked a Wesley punt and appeared ready to score when they fumbled at the 9. The Wolverines drove the length of the field to take a 14-12 lead. A fumble set up a Wesley field goal to give the Wolves a 17-12 halftime lead. But the second half belonged to “The Cru”. Bailey threw to Darius Wilson for a score and an interception set up another to Caleb Moore. Wesley kicked a field goal to make it 25-20 but another was blocked and Bailey hit Moore again from 23 yards out to produce the final score. Wesley was unable to score in four chances from the Crusader 4 and the winners were able to run out the clock. Bailey was 16 for 20 for 195 for 4 scores and no interceptions. He also ran for 95 yards.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh beat perennial power Linfield 31-24 in overtime. Nathan Smith blocked a potential game winning field goal at the end of regulation and, after Caleb Voss caught a 21 yard TD pass from Nate Wara, Andrew Thompson recovered a fumble to end the contest and send Oshkosh into the semi-finals against St, Thomas. Linfield had jumped to a 14-0 lead and led 21-6 at halftime. Going into the fourth quarter it was 24-9 but the Titans rallied, aided by an encroachment call that wiped out an interception. They scored on that drive to make it 24-16. A blocked field goal saved them after a fumble had set up the Wildcats deep in Oshkosh territory and an 80 yard 10 play drive tied it. Quarterback Wara snuck over form the 1 and threw to Cory Wipperfurth for the two point conversion. Then came the second field goal block and the overtime heroics. Wara completed 23 of 30 passes for 237 yards and a score and ran for two more.
Widener college has a distinguished history, winning national championships in 1977 and 1981. But there was no Mount Union around in those days. They are the latest school to go through the Purple Raider meat-grinder, losing 17-72. The “Pride” got off to a good start, converting a Mount Union fumble into a 3-0 lead. The rest of the game was 14-72. It was 3-37 by halftime. After a competitive third quarter, (14-21), the home team tacked on a couple more scores to make it a 55 point margin in the end. The Purple Raiders ground out 753 total yards, 380 on Chris Burke’s passing and another 115 on his running. Burke accounted for 5 touchdowns.
SEMI-FINALS
St. Thomas jumped on Wisconsin-Oshkosh immediately, Ayo Idowu returned a fumbled pitch 25 yards for a score on the first play from scrimmage. It was the first of four turnovers for the Titans. Matt O’Connell found Logan Marks from 6 yards out for another score and then snuck over from the 1 for a 21-0 first period lead. But the Titans had overcome a double figure deficit in each of their prior playoff games. But they could manage just 25 yards on the ground after averaging 257 during the season. Quarterback Nate Wara led his team back, passing for 266 yards and both running and passing for a touchdown. But the comeback came up sort, 14-28 and the Tommies moved on to play Mount Union for the title tomorrow night. Brenton Braddock, who has my favorite player name in the playoffs, ran for 117 yards for the winners. Would you want to try to tackle a guy named “Brenton Braddock”?
Mary Hardin-Baylor’s speedy “Cru” seemed to many the team that had the best chance of derailing the Mount Union express. They had done it in 2004, the last team not named Wisconsin-Whitewater to beat the Purple Raiders in the playoffs. And it looked for much of the game as if they were going to do it again. Might Mount Union had an uncharacteristic 5 turnovers, one of which was a third quarter interception that Brodrick Cain ran 42 yards with to score a touchdown that made it 28-14 in favor of the Crusaders. This after a fumble and interception and a muffed punt had given MHB a 21-14 halftime lead. But the Raiders battled back, driving for a score on a 10 yard pass from Kevin Burke to Julius Moore. Then Hank Spencer blocked a punt and Nyejel Thomas recovered it in the end zone to tie the game at 28. The Cru came back to take a 35-28 lead in the fourth quarter when quarterback LaDarral Bailey ran it in from the three. The Raiders stormed back to tie it up again on a 2 yard run by Blair Skilitier. Then with 5 seconds left, Jake Simon ran 12 yards to give Mount Union the lead. Incredibly the scoring wasn’t over. The Cru tried one of those rugby-style final plays but one lateral wound up in the hands of Mount Union’s Matt Fechko who ran 25 yards into the end zone to punctuate the comeback. The 13 point final margin was still the closest game Mount Union had had all year, (they beat Heidelberg’s “Student Princes” by 33-14: they‘d won every other game by at least 31 points). The Raiders outgained the Cru 457-275 and, but for the turnovers, might have had another easy win.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Mount Union jumped out on top with an opening drive of 82 yards in 7 plays, capped by Jake Simon’s one yard plunge. Then they went up 14-0 when a blocked punt was returned for a score. “Returned” is a relative term. The ball was bouncing among a sea of players for both teams and Mount Union’s Charles Dieuseul finally got a grip on it and dieselled his way into the end zone, bulling, (and being shoved), passed several pairs of outstretched arms.
But then the momentum of the game changed. St. Thomas coach Glen Caruso decided to try to turn things around by blitzing on nearly every play. The Purple Raider running backs had to try to fight their way back to the line of scrimmage and quarterback Kevin Burke was on the run all the time. Mount Union uncharacteristically, kept punting the ball back to the opposition. You wondered if their defense might begin to tire. But their defense held- most of the time. St. Thomas did manage one score early in the second quarter on a 10 yard run by Dan Ferrazzo. The halftime score was 14-7 and Larry Kehres, interviewed as he left the field, credited St. Thomas’ pressure with turning the game around. “But we’ll make some adjustments”.
He did and the Purple Raiders dominated the second half. They didn’t roll up a huge score, as they often do. But they stopped the Tommies cold, holding them to 8 yards rushing in the last two quarters and chasing quarterback Matt O’Connell all over the field. They even stopped “Brenton Braddock”, who had 7 yards on 2 carries before being injured. After a field goal made it 14-10, the Purple Raiders put on two long, grinding drives to put the Tommies away, one of 81 yards in 12 plays and another of 87 yards in 14 plays. Burke passed 17 yards to Chris Denton for the first score and Simon had another 1 yard run for the clincher. Mount Union again dominated the yardage, 344-194, but the Tommies could take solace in the fact that the 28 points the Purple Raiders scored was their loosest output of the season. They broke their own national, all-divisions record by scoring 792 points in 15 games this year. They gave up 134 points, winning their games by an average of 53-9.
Since 1990, Mount Union has lost 12 games: To Baldwin Wallace in the 1991 and 1994 regular seasons, to Ohio Northern in 2005, to Allegheny in the 1990 first round, Wisconsin-LaCrosse in 1992 semi-finals, Albion in the 1994 quarter-finals, Wisconsin-Lacrosse in the 1995 semis, Rowan in the 1999 semis, St. John’s of Minnesota in the 2003 finals, Mary Hardin-Baylor in the 2004 semis and Wisconsin-Whitewater in the finals of 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Those Whitewater teams, St. John’s, both Wisconsin-LaCrosse teams, Albion and Allegheny were all national champions. If Mount Union had lost this game, the seniors on this year’s team would have been the first to graduate from Mount Union in 20 years without winning a national title. But they didn’t.
WASHINGTON & LEE of Virginia (8-2, 368-278). Lost to Franklin & Marshall 28-35 on 9/1 and Bridgewater St. 14-31 on 10/20. Unranked. All-Time: 0-3. No titles.
At
HOBART of New York (10-0, 389-148). No Losses. Rank: #7 All-Time 4-8. No titles.
WITTENBERG of Ohio (9-1, 390-152) Lost to Wabash 24-27 on 10/6. Rank: #24. All-Time: 20-12. Titles: Poll 1964, NCAA Division III 1973, 1975.
At
HEIDELBERG of Ohio (9-1, 374-134). Lost to Mount Union 14-33 on 10/27. Rank: #12 All-Time 1-0, (bowl game). No Titles
FRANKLIN of Indiana (8-2, 417-186). Lost to Mount Union 7-45 on 9/1 and Butler 13-42 on 9/8, (and then won 8 in a row). Rank: #16 All-time: 3-5. No Titles.
At
ADRIAN of Michigan (9-1, 235-112), Lost to Carthage 17-20 on 9/1, (and then won 9 in a row). Unranked. All-Time 0-2. No titles.
FRAMINGHAM STATE of Massachusetts (10-1, 379-133), Lost to Endicott 7-34 on 9/1, (and then won 10 in a row). Unranked. All-Time: 0-0. No titles.
At
CORTLAND STATE of New York (8-1, 337-180), Lost to Buffalo State 31-49 on 9/1, (and then won 8 in a row). Rank: #18. All-time 4-7. No titles.
MOUNT IDA of Massachusetts, (8-2, 355-237). Lost to Springfield 42-49, 9/15 and Gallaudet 22-29 on 11/3. Unranked. No titles.
At
WESLEY of Delaware, (8-1, 259-133). Lost to Mary Hardin-Baylor 32-35 on 9/15. Rank: #6. All-Time: 18-8. No titles.
BRIDGEWATER ST. of Massachusetts, (9-1, 284-151). Lost to Framingham State 0-16 on 9/21. Unranked. All-time: 0-2. No titles.
At
WIDENER of Pennsylvania, (9-0, 461-155). No losses. Rank: #9. All-Time 15-10. Titles: NCAA DIII 1977, 1981.
ROWAN of New Jersey, (7-2, 259-101). Lost to Merrimack College 7-20 on 9/8 and Cortland State 21-24 on 10/20. Rank: #25. All-Time: 30-13. No titles.
At
SALISBURY of Maryland (8-2, 350-137) Lost to Wesley 7-17 on 9/8 and Ithaca 14-21 on 10/27. Rank: #11 All-Time: 7-8. No titles.
WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON of Pennsylvania (8-2, 256-197). Lost to St. John Fisher 24-28 on 9/8 and Thomas More 18-54 on 10/6. Unranked. All-Time 21-21-1. No titles.
At
JOHNS HOPKINS of Maryland (9-1, 337-142). Lost to Franklin & Marshall 12-14 on 11/3. Rank: #19 All-time: 2-3. No titles.
CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT of Virginia (6-4, 241-240). Lost to Salisbury 16-40 on 9/1, Hampden-Sydney 20-42 on 9/8, Lagrange 6-20 on 10/13 and Methodist 29-30 on 11/10. Unranked, (they won their conference’s automatic bid). All-Time: 2-8. No titles.
At
MOUNT UNION of Ohio (10-0, 517-45- that’s right, 45!) No losses. They had a streak of 6 consecutive shut-outs from 9/15-10/20. Rank: #1 All-Time 73-13. Titles: NCAA Division III: 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008 (10)
LOUISIANA COLLEGE (8-2, 350-233), Lost to Wesley 22-25 on 9/22 and Mary Hardin-Baylor 3-30 on 10/13. Rank: #23 All-Time 3-2. No titles.
At
MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR of Texas (10-0, 496-180). No losses. Rank: #2 All-Time: 18-10. No titles.
ST. NORBERT of Wisconsin (8-2, 269-195). Lost to John Carroll, (in Dublin, Ireland) 3-40 on 8/31 and Monmouth 9-31 on 9/29. Unranked. All-Time 1-8. No titles.
At
ST. THOMAS of Minnesota (10-0, 362-143). No losses. Rank: #4 All-Time: 8-5-1. No titles.
ELMHURST of Illinois (9-1, 328-211). Lost to North Central 10-44 on 9/29. Rank: #17. All-Time: 0-0. No titles.
At
COE of Iowa (10-0, 399-110). No losses. Rank: #10 All-Time 2-7. No titles.
BETHEL of Minnesota (8-2, 306-180). Lost to St. Thomas 0-37 on 10/13 and St. Olaf 17-24 on 11/3. Rank: #21 All-time: 6-6. No titles.
At
CONCORDIA-CHICAGO (10-0, 404-239). No losses. Unranked, (despite the undefeated record). No titles.
ST. SCHOLASTICA of Minnesota (8-2, 283-125). Lost to Whitworth 13-28 on 9/1 and Northwestern of Chicago 13-14. Unranked. All-Time: 0-1. No titles.
At
WISCONSIN-OSHKOSH (10-0, 388-128). No losses. Rank: #5. All-Time: 0-0. No titles.
PACIFIC LUTHERAN of Washington (7-2, 302-195). Lost to California Lutheran 23-37 on 9/8 and Linfield 24-31 on 9/29. Rank: #20. All-Time: 1-0. All-Time 32-15. Titles: NAIA DII 1980, 1987, 1993, NCAA DIII 1999 (4)
At
LINFIELD of Oregon (9-0, 403-146). No losses. Rank: #3 All-Time: 30-19 Titles: NAIA DII 1982, 1984, 1986, NCAA DIII 2004 (4)
NORTH CENTRAL of Illinois (8-2, 392-147). Lost to Wisconsin-Lacrosse 17-21 on 9/1 and Wheaton 21-35 on 11/3. Rank: #13 All-Time 6-7. No titles.
At
CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN (8-1, 410-218). Lost to Linfield 30-33 on 9/15. Rank: #8 All-Time 4-7 Titles: NAIA DII 1971
FIRST ROUND
Washington & Lee came in as the most prolific rushing team in Division III with 364 yards per game but Hobart had what it took up front to limit them to 188 yards while running for 288 of their own and go on to win 38-20. Steven Webb ran for 99 yards and three scores. Bobby Dougherty ran for 81 more and a score and quarterback Nick Strang passed for 986 yards and scored a TD of his own.
In the battle of the Bergs, Heidelberg scored on four of it’s first five possessions to take a 28-6 first half lead over Wittenberg. But the Tigers, who won two of the first three DIII titles back in the 70’s, (the closest thing to Mount Union in their time), stormed back to win 52-38. Reed Florence was 31 for 49 for 346 yard and 5 scores. The “Student Princes”, (I kid you not), helped out by fumbling two kick-offs. This is what happens when royalty takes on the working class.
Franklin used a 28 point second period to eliminate Adrian 42-10. The Grizzlies mauled the Bulldogs, 511 yards to 225. Quarterback Jonny West threw for 303 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Cortland State dodged a bullet when a Framingham extra point bounced off the left upright with 3:38 left. The Red Dragons got their arms around a squib kick and got a couple of first downs, one on 4th and 1 to run out the clock. Melike Van Alstyne ran for 227 yard for Framingham but Justin Autera got 1221 for Cortland and Kordel McInnis caught a couple of TD passes.
Wesley sent Mount Ida back to the rocking chair, 73-14. Justin Sottilare three 6 touchdown passes and the Wolverines had a season high 247 rushing yards.
Widener, another school with a couple of titles back in the old days, broke a 7-7 halftime tie with a 37 point second half to bury Bridgewater State, 44-14. The “Pride” had a 463-195 edge in total offense, including 317 passing yards from quarterback Chris Haupt.
Joe Benedetti of Salisbury rushed for 125 and two scores to lead the Seagulls to a 17-9 win over Rowan. The Professors had to go with their back-up quarterback due to a neck injury to Louie Bianchini. His replacement Paul Hamersma was 24 for 46 but for only 155 yards, 1TD and two interceptions.
Johns Hopkins is more noted for lacrosse but they are making noise in football these days. Washington & Jefferson certainly has a ringing in their ears after a 10-42 loss. Like Rowan, the presidents lost their quarterback early in the game but the Blue Jays put this away early anyway. On their first possession they were stopped on downs in W&J territory. They then scored the next three times they got the ball and led 28-3 at the half. Jonathan Rigaud rushed for 155 yards and score and Robbie Matey passed for 282 yards and 5 scores.
Christopher Newport had no chance at all against Mount Union. It was 49-7 at halftime and 72-14 at the end. The Purple Raiders had 326 yards rushing and 315 passing. The Captains had 101 total yards. Kevin Burke passed for 264 yards and 3 touchdowns. Chris Denton returned a punt 80 yards for a score and five different players had rushing touchdowns for the winners.
Quarterback LiDarral Bailey ran for 124 yards and two scores and passed for 267 and three more scores as Mary Hardin-Baylor swamped Louisiana College for the second time this year, 59-20. In their first meeting, “The Cru” didn’t score until the 30th minute of their first b=meeting but then exploded for 30 points after that in a 30-3 win. Here they blew out to a 42-6 halftime lead and coasted. They gave up 432 yards, mostly after the contest was decided but had an awesome 674 yards of their own.
In a Holy War, Saint Thomas proved more worthy than Saint Norbert, 48-17. Brenton Braddock, (how’d you like to try to tackle a guy with a name like that?) ran for 166 yards on 24 carries and 4 touchdowns, one on an 82 yard burst. The “Tommies” broke a scoreless tie with a 27-0 second quarter that ended any suspense.
Elmhurst was lining up for a tying field goal against Coe in a 21-24 game when “Kohawks” (you gotta love these nicknames) coach Steve Staker called a time-out. During the time-out Elmhurst Coach Tim Lester decided to go for it. Quarterback threw a 7 yard pass to Corey Thonn for what turned out to be the winning score in a 27-24 thriller. The yards were virtually even, 429-415. Scottie Williams rushed for 196 yards and a score for the winning Blue Jays while Brendan Leiran had 181 yards and a score for the Kohawks.
In another thriller, Bethel of Minnesota defeated Concordia of Chicago 24-23 by batting down a two point conversion with 18 seconds left. Bethel had almost put it away with 7 minutes to go but quarterback Erik Peterson’s attempt to break the plane of the end zone with the ball was knocked out of his hands. Peterson completed 16 of 23 passes for 161 yards and Marshall Klitzke rushed for 134 yards for the winners.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh ran over Saint Scholastica 55-10, rushing for 413 yards. Cole Myhra ran for 198 yards and Nate Wara added 128 more. Scholastica had been giving up only 88 yards a game on the ground but were outclassed by the Titans. The Saints will now return to the peace and quiet of their devotional studies.
Pacific Lutheran and Linfield are virtual twins, both tiny, (about 5000 students between them), schools from the Pacific Northwest who won three NAIA titles each and then switched over to the NCAA and won a title each there. They played each other on 9/29 and Linfield won 31-24. They did it again last week, only it was even closer at 27-24. The “lutes” out-gained the Wildcats but suffered 5 turnovers and 6 sacks, which allowed Linfield to hold them off enough to win. Chad Coburn rushed for two scores for the winners and Mickey Inns threw for 210 yards. Kyle Warner caught 12 passes for 205 yards but couldn’t catch up to a 4th down pass with 33 seconds left.
It was not a good week for the Lutherans as California Lutheran went down hard to North Central, 21-41, giving up 528 yards total offense. The visiting Cardinals took control immediately with a 24-0 first quarter. Lutheran never got within 17 after that. Running back Nick Kuric gained a career high 250 yards on 20 carries, including a 79 yarder on the second play from scrimmage. Their defense forced four turnovers, got 4 sacks and held the Kingsmen to 324 total yards.
SECOND ROUND
Once upon a time Wittenberg was the most successful small college football team in the country. They had the highest winning percentage at any level through the 1960’s and the 1970’s. They were the closest thing to Mount Union before Mount Union. They won 2 of the first three DIII titles and played for the title two more times in the 70’s. They have continued to play good football over the last three decades but not been as dominant- or prominent. And they were no match for Hobart’s greatest team last Saturday at Geneva. The Statement declawed the Tigers, 35-10, holding them to a season low 135 yards. It took Hobart a while to get going themselves. They gained only 74 yards in a 7-3 first half. But they marched for a score to open the second half to make it 14-3. Wittenberg answered but then got fumbleitis, dropping a punt, blocking a field goal but then fumbling again and the Statesmen took it in for a 21-10 lead and they never looked back. Hobart rushed for 286 yards and scored all five touchdowns by that route- by 5 different players. Steven Webb led the Statesmen with 130 yards and twisting, sideline-to-sideline 57 yard score and Bobby Dougherty added 85 more and his 19th touchdown of the year, tying Don Aleksiewicz‘s 1971 record. Hobart had the ball for more than 39 minutes of the 60 minute contest.
Mary Hardin-Baylor was formerly Baylor College for Women. Mary Hardin and her husband John saved the college financially during the Great Depression after a fire devastated the campus and the school renamed itself after Mrs. Hardin. It became co-educational in 1971 They started up a football program in 1998 in the NAIA, switched over to the NCAA in 2000. They made the playoffs for the first time in 2001 and made it all the way to championship in 2004, losing to Linfield, (this was the last title game before the Mount Union-Whitewater co-dynasty). They’ve had only one head coach, Pete Fredenberg. Franklin was no match for them in a 63-17 victory for the Crusaders, also known as “The Cru”. The game was 28-0 after one period and 49-3 at halftime. The Cru had a balanced offense with 282 yards on the ground and 281 in the air. Franklin had 310 total yards. LiDarral Bailey threw three first quarter TD passes and didn’t even play in the second half.
Cortland State, Upstate New York’s other representative in this field, never got off the launching pad at Wesley. On the third play of the game, Chris Rose threw an interception that was returned 22 yards for a touchdown. On the next possession Rose was sacked and fumbled with the ball being returned for a touchdown. It started a 56-6 avalanche for the home team. The Wolverines have now devoured two teams by a combined 129-20 in the playoffs, a slightly better record than even mighty Mount Union. Cortland wound up with 6 turnovers - 5 of them interceptions. Wesley has a school record 26 interceptions this year. They only gained 366 yards but only gave up 194. Quarterback Justin Sottilaire had 3 TD passes. But this one was all about defense.
Widener easily handled Salisbury, 28-7, out-gaining them 445-230. Again, turnovers were key. The Pride scored twice in the first half after the Sea Gulls fumbled. Chris Haupt threw an 82 yard bomb to Anthony Davis, (which one?) to make it 21-0 early in the fourth. He followed it up with a 64 yarder to Connor Schlegel to make it 28-0. Haupt was 23 of 35 for 47 yards
From the Chicago Tribune: “Johns Hopkins University coach Jim Margraff understood completely the immense challenge his team faced. "I joked with our guys early in the week," Margraff said. "There's a Division III bucket list and you could come to Alliance and play Mount Union." The Blue Jays kicked the bucket, losing 13-55 and being out-gained 278-653 by the #1 team in the division. After celebrating stopping the Purple Raiders on their 5 yard line in the opening possession, quarterback Robbie Matey threw interceptions on the next two possession and Mount Union quarterback Kevin Burke threw touchdown passes to Jasper Collins, the first two of five. It was 34-7 at halftime. Burke was 25 of 36 for 388 yards while Collins caught 12 passes for 228 yards. "It was exciting for us to come play the No. 1 team in the country," Margraff said.
In an actual close game, St. Thomas beat Elmhurst 24-17, overcoming a 0-14 first quarter deficit. The Tommies opened up with a blocked field goal a 75 yard, 6 play drive by Elmhurst, a fumble and a second Blue Jay score. But quarterback Matt McConnell’s 51 yard run gave them some hope and set up a one yard plunge by Brenton Braddock to make it 7-14. Then ,after a punt, McConnell threw the ball from his own 12 to the Elmhurst 40 where Matt Misiewicz caught the ball in stride and ran to the end zone, completing an 88 yard play to tie it. Elmhurst then drove to the St. Thomas 8 but a fumbled pitch was scooped up by Ayo Idowu who rambled 86 yards down the side to give the Tommies the lead for good. The teams traded third quarter field goals and that was that. The total yards were virtually even- 393-391. It was a great game, or at least a great half.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh, who won Whitewater’s conference this season and is playing in the post-season for the first time, also fell behind 0-14 but came roaring back to win easily, 37-14 against Bethel of Minnesota. “We’re very unemotional” said Coach Pat Cerroni, “and that’s probably because of me”. After having three punts and two interceptions in their five possessions, the unemotional Titans scored 37 unanswered points. An interception just before halftime set up with first score and a 21-0 third period gave them control of the contest. They gained 462 total yards, including a 344-75 second half. Cole Myhra and Caleb Voss scored 5 touchdowns between them.
Linfield had another opportunistic defense, forcing 7 North Central turnovers, including 5 interceptions, in a 30-14 win. They now have 12 takeaways in two playoff games and 34 on the season. A 73 yard pick 6 by Dom Forrest gave the Wildcats a 14-0 lead. They led 17-0 at the half. Two more interceptions set up third quarter touchdowns and a 30-0 lead. Two quick scores by the Cardinal’s Nick Kukuc within 3 minutes made it interesting at 30-14 but the Wildcats shut the Cardinals out in the game’s last 14 minutes. Linfield QB Mickey Linns completed 24 of 39 passes for 305 yards and 2 scores.
QUARTERFINALS
Hobart’s dreams of being the first New York State team to make the DIII finals since Ithaca won it for the third time in 1991 went down hard in a sea of errors vs. St. Thomas. A blocked punt on Hobart’s first possession set the Tommies up and on their first defensive play, star linebacker Devin Worthington hurt his leg and never returned rto the game. The wonderfully named Brenton Braddock scored from the 4, the first of four short-range touchdowns and a run by the placement holder on the conversion made it 0-8. After a short punt and a personal foul penalty, Braddock scored again from the 2 to make it 0-15. On the next series, Steven Webb ran 66 yards for Hobart’s only score on a 4th and 1. But whatever optimism that created didn’t last long. An interception set up another score to make it 7-22 on the first play of the second quarter. By halftime it was 7-32 and the final was 7-47. The Tommies out-gained Hobart 462-294 and intercepted 3 passes.
Wesley had been doing a Mount Union imitation with their blow-out wins until they ran into perennial rival Mary Hardin-Baylor and got beat for the 5th time in 7 playoff confrontations and the second time this season, 20-32. The Crusaders jumped out to a 2-0 lead when Wesley recovered a backwards pass in their own end zone. They then drove 50 yards with the subsequent kick-off to score on an 18 yard pass from LaDarrel Bailey to Jon Ross and make it 9-0. In the second quarter, leading 12-7 MHB blocked a Wesley punt and appeared ready to score when they fumbled at the 9. The Wolverines drove the length of the field to take a 14-12 lead. A fumble set up a Wesley field goal to give the Wolves a 17-12 halftime lead. But the second half belonged to “The Cru”. Bailey threw to Darius Wilson for a score and an interception set up another to Caleb Moore. Wesley kicked a field goal to make it 25-20 but another was blocked and Bailey hit Moore again from 23 yards out to produce the final score. Wesley was unable to score in four chances from the Crusader 4 and the winners were able to run out the clock. Bailey was 16 for 20 for 195 for 4 scores and no interceptions. He also ran for 95 yards.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh beat perennial power Linfield 31-24 in overtime. Nathan Smith blocked a potential game winning field goal at the end of regulation and, after Caleb Voss caught a 21 yard TD pass from Nate Wara, Andrew Thompson recovered a fumble to end the contest and send Oshkosh into the semi-finals against St, Thomas. Linfield had jumped to a 14-0 lead and led 21-6 at halftime. Going into the fourth quarter it was 24-9 but the Titans rallied, aided by an encroachment call that wiped out an interception. They scored on that drive to make it 24-16. A blocked field goal saved them after a fumble had set up the Wildcats deep in Oshkosh territory and an 80 yard 10 play drive tied it. Quarterback Wara snuck over form the 1 and threw to Cory Wipperfurth for the two point conversion. Then came the second field goal block and the overtime heroics. Wara completed 23 of 30 passes for 237 yards and a score and ran for two more.
Widener college has a distinguished history, winning national championships in 1977 and 1981. But there was no Mount Union around in those days. They are the latest school to go through the Purple Raider meat-grinder, losing 17-72. The “Pride” got off to a good start, converting a Mount Union fumble into a 3-0 lead. The rest of the game was 14-72. It was 3-37 by halftime. After a competitive third quarter, (14-21), the home team tacked on a couple more scores to make it a 55 point margin in the end. The Purple Raiders ground out 753 total yards, 380 on Chris Burke’s passing and another 115 on his running. Burke accounted for 5 touchdowns.
SEMI-FINALS
St. Thomas jumped on Wisconsin-Oshkosh immediately, Ayo Idowu returned a fumbled pitch 25 yards for a score on the first play from scrimmage. It was the first of four turnovers for the Titans. Matt O’Connell found Logan Marks from 6 yards out for another score and then snuck over from the 1 for a 21-0 first period lead. But the Titans had overcome a double figure deficit in each of their prior playoff games. But they could manage just 25 yards on the ground after averaging 257 during the season. Quarterback Nate Wara led his team back, passing for 266 yards and both running and passing for a touchdown. But the comeback came up sort, 14-28 and the Tommies moved on to play Mount Union for the title tomorrow night. Brenton Braddock, who has my favorite player name in the playoffs, ran for 117 yards for the winners. Would you want to try to tackle a guy named “Brenton Braddock”?
Mary Hardin-Baylor’s speedy “Cru” seemed to many the team that had the best chance of derailing the Mount Union express. They had done it in 2004, the last team not named Wisconsin-Whitewater to beat the Purple Raiders in the playoffs. And it looked for much of the game as if they were going to do it again. Might Mount Union had an uncharacteristic 5 turnovers, one of which was a third quarter interception that Brodrick Cain ran 42 yards with to score a touchdown that made it 28-14 in favor of the Crusaders. This after a fumble and interception and a muffed punt had given MHB a 21-14 halftime lead. But the Raiders battled back, driving for a score on a 10 yard pass from Kevin Burke to Julius Moore. Then Hank Spencer blocked a punt and Nyejel Thomas recovered it in the end zone to tie the game at 28. The Cru came back to take a 35-28 lead in the fourth quarter when quarterback LaDarral Bailey ran it in from the three. The Raiders stormed back to tie it up again on a 2 yard run by Blair Skilitier. Then with 5 seconds left, Jake Simon ran 12 yards to give Mount Union the lead. Incredibly the scoring wasn’t over. The Cru tried one of those rugby-style final plays but one lateral wound up in the hands of Mount Union’s Matt Fechko who ran 25 yards into the end zone to punctuate the comeback. The 13 point final margin was still the closest game Mount Union had had all year, (they beat Heidelberg’s “Student Princes” by 33-14: they‘d won every other game by at least 31 points). The Raiders outgained the Cru 457-275 and, but for the turnovers, might have had another easy win.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Mount Union jumped out on top with an opening drive of 82 yards in 7 plays, capped by Jake Simon’s one yard plunge. Then they went up 14-0 when a blocked punt was returned for a score. “Returned” is a relative term. The ball was bouncing among a sea of players for both teams and Mount Union’s Charles Dieuseul finally got a grip on it and dieselled his way into the end zone, bulling, (and being shoved), passed several pairs of outstretched arms.
But then the momentum of the game changed. St. Thomas coach Glen Caruso decided to try to turn things around by blitzing on nearly every play. The Purple Raider running backs had to try to fight their way back to the line of scrimmage and quarterback Kevin Burke was on the run all the time. Mount Union uncharacteristically, kept punting the ball back to the opposition. You wondered if their defense might begin to tire. But their defense held- most of the time. St. Thomas did manage one score early in the second quarter on a 10 yard run by Dan Ferrazzo. The halftime score was 14-7 and Larry Kehres, interviewed as he left the field, credited St. Thomas’ pressure with turning the game around. “But we’ll make some adjustments”.
He did and the Purple Raiders dominated the second half. They didn’t roll up a huge score, as they often do. But they stopped the Tommies cold, holding them to 8 yards rushing in the last two quarters and chasing quarterback Matt O’Connell all over the field. They even stopped “Brenton Braddock”, who had 7 yards on 2 carries before being injured. After a field goal made it 14-10, the Purple Raiders put on two long, grinding drives to put the Tommies away, one of 81 yards in 12 plays and another of 87 yards in 14 plays. Burke passed 17 yards to Chris Denton for the first score and Simon had another 1 yard run for the clincher. Mount Union again dominated the yardage, 344-194, but the Tommies could take solace in the fact that the 28 points the Purple Raiders scored was their loosest output of the season. They broke their own national, all-divisions record by scoring 792 points in 15 games this year. They gave up 134 points, winning their games by an average of 53-9.
Since 1990, Mount Union has lost 12 games: To Baldwin Wallace in the 1991 and 1994 regular seasons, to Ohio Northern in 2005, to Allegheny in the 1990 first round, Wisconsin-LaCrosse in 1992 semi-finals, Albion in the 1994 quarter-finals, Wisconsin-Lacrosse in the 1995 semis, Rowan in the 1999 semis, St. John’s of Minnesota in the 2003 finals, Mary Hardin-Baylor in the 2004 semis and Wisconsin-Whitewater in the finals of 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Those Whitewater teams, St. John’s, both Wisconsin-LaCrosse teams, Albion and Allegheny were all national champions. If Mount Union had lost this game, the seniors on this year’s team would have been the first to graduate from Mount Union in 20 years without winning a national title. But they didn’t.
